Expansionism in the Middle Ages: Spanish Reconquista - Research Paper Example

Spanish Reconquista Spanish Reconquista Spanish Reconquista is the most triumphant example of expansionism in the middle ages.It was a series of military campaigns against the Muslim factions from North Africa (Archer, 2000). The European forces of Christians eventually overtook permanent control of entire peninsula. The Spanish history is a story of cultures blending as well as clashing. The time when Christians, Muslims and Jews could live in peace, the culture of Spain would exceed among the rest of entire Europe (Cowart, 2007) When discrimination and discord broke out, the wars broke out as a result. Eventually the Christian Monarchs were triumphant and the nation was united under them, their exploits had gone beyond anything that the Europeans in medieval ages could imagine. This resulted in foundation of a new empire. Reconquista means reconquest in languages of Portuguese and Spanish. The battles fought in this period are an important part of the religious influence representing Spain today. The whole of Iberian Peninsula was previously conquered by Islamic forces. The Reconquista launch was a huge attempt to regain control of territories that were lost to Islamic empire in Spain and restore the ruling of Christians throughout. Initial signs of efforts towards this restoration can be observed in year of 722, when the formations were under construction and in order to resolve the sins they had done, Christian soldiers offered their aid. Charlemagne was the first one to strike by reclaiming Septimania and the Pyrenees; he then constructed Marca Hispanica to defend French from Moorish troops. The complications were raised which were inevitable through this time period; the Islamic forces made attempts to reclaim the lands that were taken, this occurred while many attempts and periods of peace and truces were agreed upon. In the soldiers mix were those who weren’t inclined or enthusiastic to fight in favor of Moors and neither were they driven by the ideologies of this reconquista. Therefore this population was for sale as the mercenaries and they would fight the battle for who ever paid them highest amount of money. The battles were in full rage down south, although the fights were not always between the two groups but sometimes within themselves too, which created more issues for addressing. In 1238 the reconquest was almost ending when the entire Iberian Peninsula had been won back except Granada which was the only stronghold left for Islamic empire. This last territory of Islamic rule was taken over after two hundred and fifty years in year of 1492, finally completing the reconquista. Asturias, a small kingdom centred in Oviedo from 730’s has been the sole surviving Christian state based in Spain and faced constant raids by Muslims. This was additional to the Charlemagnes March at Catalonia on Pyrenees. In early 900’s, king of Asturia took benefit of infighting among Muslims to shift his capital south to County of Castile and Leon (Cowart, 2007). It was although not a state with crusader inclination and fine with working alongside Muslim amirs to survive, the leaders started attracting freemen as the colonists with offering generous deals on tax rebates and the agricultural land. Warring with the Muslims when suitable, the leaders of Castilian were not fighting holy war at that point. Good relations were marinated with Umayyad Caliphate. Sancho by 1034 had incorporated Barcelona, Aragon, Castile, Sobrabe and Asturian Leon. The Muslim Spain became the part with highest development in Europe by 1000. Country side became prosperous and a lot of Christians converted their religion to Islam. This area had the Europe’s biggest cities, which had connection to the trade routes in Far East and Levantine. The Muslims had only occupied the territories which were best parts in Spain (Cowart, 2007). The damp and cold mountains in north were left with Christians, Islamic states emerged in south, the east coast and also arid. In north, Christian areas bore high resemblance to their French counterpart in the eleventh century. The population was mostly peasants with a small upper class and many political units that were independent. The kingdom of Leon and Navarre in west were small and had government structures that were simple (Archer, 2000). At start of eleventh century these Christian states were not able to stand in opposition to Muslim states, neither to do so did they have any ideological inclination. Among two of the confessional groups an almost civil relationship prevailed, taking advantage of fact that Iberian Muslims did not maintain a political unity in long run. Andalusia broke down into several small units in this time and since it was not an ideological inclination for Spanish Christians to initiate the recon quest they often worked for Muslims as the mercenaries (Thackeray and Findling, 2001). This was prior to era of reform Papacy, the holy war was not an ideological belief in the think of Christian Iberian yet. Although, working as allies or the mercenaries for several Muslim amirs the leaders of Christians levied the money for protection on Muslim kings, parts of the great wealth of the al-Anadalus thus began to move northward. This money had come from taxing Muslim peasants, which was questionable in the Islamic terms. So it was just a matter of time before it faced revolt or backlash, ending the peaceable and cordial relations between Muslim kings and the Christian kings. There were two sides of initiation. First was the church’s reform movement which began to captivate northern Spain. Although, the Spanish church was corrupt and had monastic system that was non standardized t start of eleventh century, based right across French border were the Cluny monasteries. By 1030’s, king of Leon and king of Navarre sent invitation to Cluniac monks in order to reform these monasteries. Further than that, the appointment of French monks in position of the Spanish bishops started from 1050’s. The Muslim grandeur did not impress these monks as much as it had impressed the Spaniards, and the reformation of Church gave the Christians in Spain a new polished Christian identity, which highlighted these differences from Muslims in confessional terms, with whom culture sharing was wide. Indeed, it was the Cluniac monks that planted seeds of reconquest as holy duty. The Muslim side also reacted. The wealth which went northward in large amounts was used to build a lot of new monasteries. A more important aspect was the societal change that emerged; more Spanish people could now afford to work a professional soldier’s full time. The military strength of Spain improved. Alfonso VI of Leon in 1085 took Toledo; this provoked the Muslims to react. The Andalusian Muslims who were already tired of the Muslim rulers who taxed the peasants welcomed this new dynasty into Iberia. The Almoravids with staunch Muslims whose origins were in areas of North Africa; Atlas mountains, they came to fight the Christians off in 1086. At the Sagrajas battle they scared Alfonso’s forces away and created a new Andalusian Muslim state that was unified. Toledo however, was still held by Alfonso through establishment of fortified towns. Freedom and amnesties were offered to people in order to attract the settlers; they were given some land, self government locally and a house. These measures lead to an environment that was Wild West like, the basic means of sustenance being raising sheep and inter confessional warfare. Civil militias were developed in towns for both offensive and the defensive purposes. Raiding, trading, and animal husbandry were occupations of the people living on Mesta. The development of social mobility was great. The upper class was very limited and the peasant’s freedom was maintained. At first, the only purpose was to collect booty and land but eventually the war on both the sides has religious symbols surrounding it. it wad called a holy campaign against the infidels by the time when Gregory VII took over and in the time of crusading of the Urban II and even after, the Spanish knights had an exemption from taking the cross for Jerusalem, as they were believed to fighting a crusade of their own in Iberia. From 1126-1157; the ruling of Alfonso VII, even just the raids for booty were going pretty well to aid conquering the neighbouring towns of Muslims. In 1145 however, Almoravids were defeated at the hands of Almohads, who were another revivalist Islamic group from the Northern Africa. There interpretation of religion was more literalist. They entered Spain in 1148, and put up the Muslim defences and started taking the towns that were lost to Christians back (Archer, 2000). Alfonso VII, in 1157 died while fleeing from the Almohad forced in passes of Pyrenees. The Christian control till that time had however, extended to centre of Peninsula. Recoanquista although halted in the thirteenth century, majorly due to lack of the political unity among Christians. On Alfonso’s death, Castilian lands had been divided among Castile and Leon, Portugal had emerged by then already and there was parting in1134 between Aragon and Navarre. The refinement of Spanish Christian was seen at start of thirteenth century equivalent in its ferocity to Almohads and the Almoravids (Elliott‎, 2002). The warrior monks started arriving from Palestine. Santiago and the Calatrava were the two major chief orders. They were the knights who had not only taken all monastic vows but an additional one too, which was to fight Muslims. After Calatravans in 1211 lost the headquarters during one of continuous raids between the Almohads and themselves, Alfonso VIII of Castile decided it was time to try the offensive approach. Both groups met in battle at Las Navas de Tolosa, the Muslims suffered defeat. Alfonso VIII died two years later, so Castile did not exploit the victory immediately. The beliefs and Islamic interpretation of Almohads was very orthodox that they alienated the urban elites of Muslims. Therefore, they could not maintain political dominance in the Andalusian Muslim Empire and thus were eventually driven out. The Muslim Spain scattered into political fragments again in 1220’s, Ferdinand III of Castile was gathering majority at the same time and coming was James of Aragon ‎ (Elliott‎, 2002). ‎ Major part of Spain was retaken by the Christians between 1229 and 1250. Highlights of this were the fall of Cordoba, which was once the capital of Umayyad Empire and conquest in 1248 of Seville by Ferdinand. Grenada was the only Muslim kingdom that persisted, based in Spain’s south coast. Leon/Castile took central regions, where as Aragon took east coast. This entire era was marked by sieges and the negotiations with the Muslims, where surrender allowed the possession of their religion and property to native Hispano-Arabs (Thackeray and Findling, 2001). In thirteenth century the Spanish kingdom of Christians had more Muslim and Jewish population than the Christians. So to attract more Christians, kings retreated to the preferential policies that were used at time of Alfonso, these included freedom of land and legal aspects which were better than any other feudal arrangements. Land rush of Christians to Iberia came in 1240’s and 1260’s which provided elites and served as demographic backbone to expand the Christian states in fourteenth century. References Archer, C. I. (2000). The Wars of Independence in Spanish America. Willmington. DE: SR Books. Cowart, J. (2007). Reconquista: A Romance of Spain. London: Lulu Enterprises, UK Ltd. Elliott, J.H. (2002). Imperial Spain: 1469-1716. USA: Penguin Books. Thackeray, F. and Findling, J. (2001). Events That Changed the World through the Sixteenth Century. London: Greenwood Publications. Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More